Notre Dame, fans endure long night

November 27, 2005|JASON KELLY

They handed out hard hats Saturday night at Stanford Stadium, souvenir trinkets commemorating the final game before the facility undergoes a rehab and reduction. It will be reborn next year with a capacity of 50,500, about 35,000 less than its current incarnation, "creating a cozier and more electrifying game experience." Judging from the electricity levels coursing through the place at kickoff, Stanford might want to consider solar power as an energy source. That or just play Notre Dame here more often. As usual the Irish audience generated most of the initial emotion, a function of their numbers, their passion and their appreciation for the reconstruction project proceeding back in South Bend. Charlie Weis is ahead of schedule in rebuilding Notre Dame football, although Stanford added an unexpected delay with an inspired performance. Sweating a victory and the accompanying Bowl Championship Series bid, the subject changed from an Irish revival to a quest for survival. Somehow, through the whiplash of the final minutes in a breathtaking game, they survived. Not even a two-point conversion with 55 seconds to play on a direct snap to Darius Walker made Notre Dame's tenuous 38-31 win, and the renaissance storyline of the season itself, feel complete. Stanford still had a chance. Victor Abiamiri's sack in the final seconds caused a tumult of celebration that soon turned to a dazed, relieved walk off the field after a salute to those cheering fans who followed them here. Weis compounded the usual national interest in the Irish with a remarkable regular season that redefined the program. But the postseason reward that would validate all that progress remained in doubt long enough to knock the air out of the lusty lungs that cheered their arrival. They were holding their breath instead. A loss wouldn't have depleted the endowment of confidence and optimism Weis established, but it would have dealt a stinging blow to the solar plexus of a team learning to puff out its chest again. Running back Darius Walker danced and darted just enough to give a sputtering Notre Dame offense a push. Other than Walker's slippery way of squirting through the line for a few extra yards, though, the Irish didn't look well-oiled. T.J. Rushing found the seam in the Irish kick coverage, scoring on an 87-yard return in the fourth quarter that breathed exhilarating new life into Stanford Stadium. And like he did with Pittsburgh last year, Stanford coach Walt Harris discovered the way over the Notre Dame pass defense for a deflating touchdown. Notre Dame's performance contributed to an atmosphere that kept Cardinal fans and visiting dignitaries interested and excited for the duration. Quarterback Brady Quinn threw a couple touchdown passes to Jeff Samardzija in the first quarter -- the usual -- but the offense lacked its familiar crisp execution and instinct for the jugular. When Quinn went down for an 11-yard loss on a 4th-and-6 play midway through the second quarter, the momentum shift could be felt in the hush from the Irish supporters. After Stanford quarterback Trent Edwards delivered a 38-yard touchdown pass to Justin McCullum to tie the game at 14, the decibels officially favored the home team. If not exactly cozy with the pockets of empty seats scattered around the stadium, the electrifying part of the emotional blueprint started to take shape among Cardinal faithful in their souvenir hard hats. Forgive Notre Dame fans if it felt more like an impending electrocution as the clock ticked toward midnight Eastern. Quinn threw two interceptions, rare lapses that added to the aura of doom settling over the Irish partisans. Never one to waver in his confidence, Weis kept calling deep passes and used all three timeouts during Stanford's last first-half possession to give Notre Dame one last shot. Those decisions reflected another sentiment he expressed with conviction last week when the subject somehow turned to time management at end of the first half of the Michigan State game. "It's a question of if you want to play passive or if you want to play aggressive," Weis said. "If you wait for me to play passive, you'll be waiting a long time." For Notre Dame fans waiting to celebrate a fifth straight win and a BCS bid, Saturday was a long night.